Failure to Function Adequately

This means that a person is unable to navigate everyday life or behave in the necessary ways to live a 'normal‘ life. For example, failure to function adequately would prevent a person from having successful interpersonal interactions or get and keep a job.

Rosenhan and Seligman (1989) identify various features of dysfunction, including:

• Personal distress (anxiety, depression, exessive fear …)

• Maladaptive behaviour

• Irrationality

• Unpredictability

• Discomfort to others

The Global Assessment of Functioning scale provides a way to quantify (from 0 to 100) the extent to which a mental disorder affects an individuals ability to function adequaltely. A person who scores highly (e.g. 80+) will have few if any symptoms that prevent their ability to function, whereas a person with a very low score (<20) will struggle in society and may even be a danger to themself or others.